Criminal Court Judge Doug Meyer on Monday afternoon sentenced Isaac Jones III to the maximum 25 years for the murder of Chattanooga Police Officer Julie Jacks.
Judge Meyer said the fact a police officer was killed was the main factor in setting the sentence.
He said, "The thin blue line really separates us from chaos."
Jones, 24, took the witness stand at the sentencing hearing and apologized to the Jacks family.
Becky Bates, mother of Officer Jacks, earlier read an emotional statement giving the effect of the May 2002 slaying on her family.
Mrs. Bates placed a picture of Julie Jacks by her as she read her statement. She said she would "try to give a glimpse of the wonderful person Julie was and the horrible loss we continue to face daily."
She said Julie was "my shining star, my rock, my first-born child, my best friend. She will always be my little girl. Her beauty was so evident and her faith was so pure."
Mrs. Bates said Julie "was a wonderful and loving sister to Ashley and Ginger" and "the glue that held together her friendships," especially with three very close friends.
She said Julie held down fulltime jobs while attending college. She told of her deciding to become a police officer, saying she was doing so despite the low pay.
She said she graduated second in her class in the police academy and was chosen Rookie of the Year in 2001.
She stated, "Julie was always for the underdog. She always wanted peace and fairness. She was for reaching out to people, making a difference and changing lives for the better."
She said, "Her death leaves one less heart open to those in need and one less shoulder to cry on."
Mrs. Bates said she and Officer Bobby Moses had planned to get married. "They were so much in love. They had plans and dreams. I think of the wonderful wife and mother she would have made."
She said her young niece could not understand why she was killed "and I don't either."
She said the death "has left a dark emptiness of hurt, pain and sadness all knotted together. My heart was not just broken, it was shattered."
Looking at the defendant, she said, "I don't hate you, Isaac." She said, "It would be so easy to let hate consume me, but then Isaac Jones would have destroyed me also."
Mrs. Bates asked Judge Meyer to give the maximum sentence, saying he still "will have many years left" when he is released.
District Attorney Bill Cox also asked for the maximum, saying he was not convinced that Jones was forthcoming about the slaying or truly remorseful.
Lt. Gene Coppinger said Jones did not have any write-ups during his stay at the County Jail.
Laura Bistric of Rock Spring, Ga., said her family began attending the mainly black Washington Hills United Methodist Church, and she has become friends with Jones.
She said they began writing and often call one another. She said, "He is part of our family. We love him."
She said her husband is away in Iraq, but agrees that Jones could come live with them when he is released.
She said his remorse "is genuine and heartfelt. It's on him every day what he did."
She said he is committed to staying on medication for the rest of his life "because he knows to hear the voices is terrifying and he never wants to hurt anyone again."
Isaac Jones Sr., the defendant's 77-year-old grandfather, told of going to Jones' high school graduation in Los Angeles and finding the conditions where he was living. He said there were 7-8 people in the apartment with drinking going on. He said he decided to have Jones come back to Chattanooga.
The defendant read a letter he wrote the Jacks family, starting by saying, "You may very well not believe me, but this is a sincere and heartfelt apology."
He said, "I can't believe I am responsible for causing so much pain. My heart is truly broken over this tragic event."
Jones said, "I too admire her. I could see how very pretty and beautiful she was."
He said of his apology, "I know it won't be enough to pay for the precious life I took."
Jones said he was mentally ill at the time and is still mentally ill. He said he cannot remember the events surrounding the slaying.
Jones was in exams at Chattanooga State and was about to get a pharmacy degree when he began acting bizarrely. He was taken to Parkridge Medical Center for a mental evaluation. He ran in his underwear from the hospital and encountered Officer Jacks, who had been working a traffic accident nearby.
Prosecutors said he knocked her down, took her gun and shot her numerous times.
The state had sought the death penalty, but the jury found him guilty of second-degree murder.
The sentencing range was 15-25 years.